Breaking the Old Shackles in Her Heart

"Rakshasa God was getting bolder and bolder."

After Destruction God King spoke, he prepared to head out of the Forest of Life.

"Forget it."

"It's not a big deal."

A warm, vibrant voice appeared before the Ancient Tree of Life.

"Xiao Lu, you're just too easygoing."

Destruction God King halted, then turned to look at the figure before the Ancient Tree of Life.

Meanwhile, Goddess of Life quietly gazed at the Ancient Tree of Life.

After a long while, faint divine power appeared in Goddess of Life's hand. With a gentle wave, the Ancient Tree of Life released a stream of life force so dense it was nearly liquid.

The life force traced a graceful arc through the air and descended into the Angel God Temple.

"She didn't really do anything."

"And strictly speaking, that was the divine sense acting on its own. Let's go back."

Goddess of Life smiled, then left the Forest of Life together with Destruction.

Not long after.

The life force within the Angel God Temple gradually faded away.

The tightly sealed Angel God Temple slowly opened, and a strand of divine sense silently headed toward the continent.

On the continent.

Douluo Hall.

Angel Secret Realm.

A strand of divine sense silently merged into the Angel God statue, fusing with the divine sense within the statue that was about to dissipate.

The statue's gaze seemed to possess intelligence as it looked toward Rakshasa God's inheritance site. A faint golden radiance spread from the statue, enveloping the Angel Holy Sword embedded in the ground.

Wrapped in that radiance, the Angel Holy Sword gradually vanished.

Elsewhere.

Inside Bibi Dong's bedroom.

Bibi Dong, deep in sleep, seemed to have fallen into a strange dream.

In the dream, chains formed from shackles bound Bibi Dong's body. Scenes from the past surfaced on either side of her as she dragged those shackles forward. Ahead lay a bottomless abyss, as though one wrong step would send her plunging into it forever.

An ethereal voice continuously entered Bibi Dong's ears.

"Turn around and look. There is no road ahead."

Memories from her time as the Saintess formed images that kept appearing before her eyes.

"The Yu Xiaogang you love now is merely a beautiful fantasy from your youth."

"If he truly held you in his heart, then over the past decade or nearly twenty years, why had he never come to see you even once? And didn't you already know about him and his cousin?"

"Abandoning his newlywed wife overnight—was someone like that truly the man you loved?"

The ethereal voice was like heavy hammers striking Bibi Dong's heart. Her past memories surged into her mind like a flood.

"In terms of talent, his Innate Soul Power was only half a level. With such talent, he was at the very bottom of the entire soul master world."

"In terms of ability, if Yu Xiaogang were truly a master of martial souls, why did people across the continent treat him as a joke? Could everyone on the continent be blind fools, while he alone was the clever one?"

"In terms of background, although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was one of the Upper Three Sects, what was its current situation? It was a clan growing weaker by the day, barely supported by a single old dragon. How much longer could he hold on? Could he even support it?"

"In terms of responsibility, on his wedding night, he abandoned his newlywed wife and left her alone to endure more than a decade of gossip and slander. Did such actions show even the slightest bit of responsibility?"

"What about a person with no talent, no ability, a declining background, and no sense of responsibility ever attracted you?"

Listening to the ethereal voice and watching the scenes before her, Bibi Dong opened her mouth as if she wanted to refute it. Yet when the words reached her lips, she realized she had no way to argue.

Because it seemed to be true.

In terms of talent, Innate Soul Power of half a level seemed to be the lowest in the history of the entire soul master world. Any lower, and one would not belong to the soul master world at all, but would simply be an ordinary person.

As for ability, if he truly had ability, he would not have become a joke.

How many exceptionally gifted people were there in the entire soul master world? Among those who could cultivate to Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo, were there any fools?

Could a theory unrecognized by those at the top of the pyramid—even by the entire continent—really work?

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's gradual decline was an indisputable fact.

How could abandoning his wife on their wedding night and leaving her alone to bear over a decade of gossip and slander possibly be explained away as proof that he was responsible?

Question after question rose in Bibi Dong's heart, but she did not know how to answer them.

For a moment, Yu Xiaogang's once radiant and towering image in Bibi Dong's heart shattered inch by inch like a mirror.

"Was I wrong?"

A somewhat hoarse voice left Bibi Dong's lips.

"The sun belongs high in the heavens. Why insist on smashing it into bottomless mud?"

"Why should a golden phoenix meant to shine brilliantly enter the deep mountains and keep company with wild chickens?"

"Right and wrong were never absolute."

"Your former teacher was wrong, and he paid the price he deserved."

"The Qian Family had also expressed its apology and was doing its best to make amends. Its biological son had fallen, yet Worship Hall said nothing and supported you in becoming Spirit Hall's Pope."

"That member of the Qian Family was in the prime of his life and could have temporarily served as Pope. Yet he remained hidden in Worship Hall, never showing himself. He even allowed you to send Spirit Hall's Young Master out on missions. Why do you think that was?"

"The Qian Family was doing its best to make up for its mistakes. How should you make up for the guilt in your own heart?"

A completely new scene appeared before Bibi Dong.

Everything concerning Qian Renxue's past surged into Bibi Dong's mind like a tide.

"Grandfather, what did I do wrong? Why does Mother hate me so much?"

A young, aggrieved voice echoed endlessly in Bibi Dong's heart.

"Perhaps it is a debt owed by our Qian Family."

"Grandfather will take you back to Worship Hall."

Another voice followed closely after.

The two voices intertwined and echoed endlessly within Bibi Dong as scene after scene appeared before her.

Cracks silently appeared on the shackles binding Bibi Dong. The cracks quickly spread, then the shackles shattered completely, turning into dust that scattered with the wind.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Bibi Dong felt as though she had become a little lighter.

She turned and glanced behind her. The road behind emitted a faint glow. Though its end could not be seen at a glance, it was incomparably smooth, forming a stark contrast with the bottomless abyss ahead.

The dream shattered inch by inch like glass.

Bibi Dong jolted awake from the dream. She raised her hand and looked at it, feeling a vague sense of unreality.

Thinking back on everything in the dream, Bibi Dong rose from bed, opened the window, and looked out at the star-filled night sky. Her eyes reddened slightly, filled with contemplation.

Her fair hand involuntarily clenched into a fist. Even when her nails pierced her palm and crimson blood dripped through her fingers onto the ground, she did not notice.